Desperate moms all over the country are trying to find new ways to keep their children entertained. Summer is wonderful and brutal all at the same time! Right now, Nick is in the midst of a camp marathon – VBC last week, back to back weeks of basketball camp now and then he’ll be off for a couple of short overnight camps. Not only does this mean longer hours for him (he works Sunday – Friday these weeks) but it means longer hours for me, by default.

I can always sense when my children are growing tired of me and my brand of entertainment. I’m not into wild play like Nick is, and while I try to keep them entertained with outings, playdates and fun things at home I was apparently boring them yesterday. That’s when I decided to try something new.

This new form of entertainment was completely free and not at all messy. The best part? It kept the boys entertained for a solid hour. AN HOUR!! But wait, it gets better! When Nick finally got home, the boys got back into this fun new thing and played for another 30 minutes or so.

You’re dying to know what it is, aren’t you? Here’s what you need:

That’s it. A tub of water and some paintbrushes. You don’t need anything else! Send the kids outside with that and let them go wild “painting” things! (And for the record, I took the above picture this morning and that tub of water and paint brushes lured the boys back outside and they began painting again!)

(Excuse the quality of this one – Nick borrowed my camera yesterday and left me with our little pocket video camera. Don’t even get me started on the quality of still pictures it takes!)

The boys practiced painting their names, they painted the steps, they painted the chairs and tables… pretty much anything! The beauty of their “paint” was that it dried quickly, giving them more places to paint again!

After Nick got home Chase and Jackson were “painting” again, but this time they were painting each other. They said they were getting ready for a wedding. I think they were pretending to do each others make-up and hair! Ha!

Then they tried painting Lily…

At one point, Chase crawled under the car and was painting Lily’s toes. Aww, baby girl’s first pedicure! Is it wrong she’s had one before I ever have? (Yes, that was a deep, dark confession… or over-sharing, whichever way you want to look at it.)

The little princess turned 5 months old yesterday! Any little milestone like that just gives me an excuse to dress her up and take pictures (not that I really need an excuse, but at least this way Nick doesn’t roll his eyes as much).

Lily’s first time in a tutu! I think we need to get Aunt Laura on the hunt for some matching ballet slippers…

In the last month, Lily has learned how to roll from back to front, how to grab her feet, she’s beginning to figure out how to shove things into her mouth (other than just her hands) and she’s becoming very vocal.

She also doesn’t miss any meals. The girl is a chunk! She’s easily into 6 month clothes and even some brands in size 6 months are a little small on her.

I feel like this one needs a funny caption… you all get on that, ok?

Next month: solids! And maybe sitting up on her own… (she’s really close now) and probably a bigger size clothes.

Alicenne -Oh, she is adorable, and pink is definitely her color!ReplyCancel

June 21, 2011 - 12:24 pm

Jessica -She is so cute! The tutu looks great on her 🙂 In that last one her lips look so much like your boys! Do the boys notice or say much when she is “dressed up”? Ginger notices Genevieves clothes, but I don’t think Liam pays attention to what she is wearing.ReplyCancel

June 21, 2011 - 12:41 pm

Helen-Not really… they just asked why she was wearing “that thing”. LOL! Kinda like their dad.ReplyCancel

June 21, 2011 - 6:52 pm

Nellie Bragg -Absolutely precious, Helen! What a great job you and Nick, along with those fabulous three helpers, are doing! Blessings to you!ReplyCancel